The Legacy of the Starchildren
by XSuicuneX
Summary: Loke has kept his secrets all his life, even more so when he joined a Human Magician's guild as he was dying, but when an old nuisance returns and unveils the biggest one, will it break everything he holds dear? Just how deeply can one spirit trust the fickle nature of humanity? Faith and love will decide. (slow burn)
1. Prologe

_Once upon a time, mankind looked up to the stars for the first time._

 _The stars, forever eternal, looked back, and were shocked. For humanity reflected them in a way that they'd never seen before. While the celestials were pure, never knowing sorrow or pain, the earthbound knew sorrow and strife._

 _And this pain, this torment, called to them in a way nothing had before. For you see, the Celestial Spirits have always been beings of protection, though they had never seen anything that needed their protection before. The call was like a siren, and so, despite their King's warnings and wishes, they left their heaven to meet the earthbound, to ease their pain._

 _And they fell in love._

 _And from that love, came something never seen before. A being that knew happiness and pain, purity and impurity, a child of the Earth and Stars._

 _Draco's was the first, though he was not the last._

 _Enraged by the Dragon's actions, the Spirit King banished him to the sky, forever locking him from his children, but Draco, desperate, spread himself far across the heavens, as far as he could go, taking up most of the sky in an effort to be able to watch over his children in exile._

 _And he was_ _ **not**_ _the last…_

 _Soon enough more and more children of Spirits were born, so that many of the earthbound learned of their origins and the secrets of the spirit realm. This made the King angry, and eventually he even threatened to cut off his world from the earthbound forever!_ _ **These children are a risk!**_ _He'd said._ _ **I will not put my friends in danger!**_

 _However, the spirits, attached to their children and their earthbound loves, were upset by this. They pled, begged with the King, asking him for mercy, for once knowing sorrow, fear, desperate to not lose their families._

 _Then, one spirit, a brave, powerful Lion, stepped forward._ _ **I will go.**_ _He said._ _ **I will see if the children are truly to be feared.**_

 _And so he went, quick before the Spirit King could tell him no, he fled to the Earthland to find one of their children, to prove if they were a danger or not._

 _But then it soon became apparent that there were so many people to look through! Too many, the spirit children were far too few and the Earthbound too much, there was no possible way for him to find one, nor even did he know how to prove that they weren't a threat._

 _And then he heard the cry._

 _A call, a piercing through his heart, his soul, a desire to protect, to care for, to guide. He followed that feeling, so unlike what he experienced in the Celestial realm, and soon came to find a little girl, surrounded by a mob, crying out for help while her two parents were assaulted._

 _In that moment anger came over the Lion, such as he'd never felt before. He gave a great war, a blinding flash of his brilliance taking out the villains, and soon he was alone with the child, confused and concerned._ _ **Why did they want to hurt you?**_ _He asked._

 _The child clung to his clothes, crying and shaking, afraid still, even after he'd saved her._ _ **They know what I am.**_ _She said._ _ **They say it's my fault that the heavens turn against us. Because I'm born of the spirits.**_

 _In that moment his heart broke, and he returned to the spirit realm, set in what he was going to say._

 _The King was angry, irritated that the Lion had run off without his permission, but he cut the King off, returning with his report._ _ **They are no danger**_ _, he said._ _ **They are in as much risk from their own kind as us. Our children need us.**_ _He spoke on and on, for hours, making his case, days in the Earth Realm passing like a dream, but some of the most important, as he fought for them._

 _ **Don't they deserve to be given a chance? And in a world that would reject them as much as we have been?**_

 _The King thought long and hard over his old friend's words, and, seeing how much it hurt his friend's hearts to see their children in danger, he finally conceded._

 _ **Very well Leo.**_ _He responded._ _ **You will be allowed to protect and aid your children, but.**_ _He added in._ _ **Only so long as they prove they deserve it.**_

 _And so, keys were made, portals that whispered directly to the spirit bound to it, and if the children were very lucky, and clever, and brave, they would find these keys, and their birthright would come if they only asked._

 _For the spirits loved their children, and still do to this day._


	2. Chapter 1

**Sorry for taking so long, I was suffering under a hell of a writer's block for the last several months. Plus real life shinanigans. I'm surprised Leo's still not done with me though, there's something theraputic about writing for him.**

 **Though this is Lucy's story first, and she's not as easy for me to write as him.**

 **Anyways, I don't own Fairy Tail or anything herein. I do however own these character interpretations as well as the prominent OCs and crazy ass plotline that I'm taking you all on. I am so sorry for inaccuracies.**

 **Anyone who can tell me the theme with these bad guys gets a cookie.**

* * *

Lucy awoke as she did most mornings when not on a job. Peacefully and slowly. It had been a rare few unharrowing days for Fairy Tail, no one was declaring war, her last few jobs had gone off without, much, of a hitch, and her teammates weren't pushing themselves anymore than usual, nor were they dragging her off on any crazy adventures. It was a nice change of pace really.

She took a moment to gaze out her bedside window, opening it up to let in Magnolia's seaside air, breathing deep and lounging in the sunshine.

She smiled, gazing out at the sun dappled streets, watching as others who were more morning people than her went about their day, the street side river painted with streaks of glowing white highlights in the sun.

Today was going to be a good day. She could feel it.

She took a moment to ponder her options for the day; maybe she'd get some shopping done, or check in with Natsu and the others. Rent wasn't due for a few weeks so she had time for a job or two to make it up, but the cupboards were getting a _bit_ bare…

She'd just started debating changing out of her singlet shift, it and her pink panties barely covering her enough to be decent for her window gazing when she saw a man in uniform walk up to her door, depositing a few letters into her mail slot before walking away.

"Wonder what that's about?" She asked herself, grimacing a bit. She hoped it wasn't bills, last job she had gotten a _little_ carried away with her tab. But it was for a celebration! She couldn't be blamed!

Maybe she should focus on another job instead. So, she sighed and made to get up out of bed, grabbing her keys automatically on the way as she went downstairs to her front door.

In front of it was a pile of mail and, sighing, she picked it up and went to her coffee table to sort through it. Junk, bills, more junk, then she paused. It was a personal letter, addressed to her, baring a seal that looked somewhat familiar. Ignoring the seal for the moment, she opened the envelope and unfolded a pair of papers from inside.

The first paper was a letter;

'Dear Miss Heartfilia' it said, in a personal, flowing script. She swallowed, taken back by memories she preferred not to dwell on. 'I would like to formally invite you to our home, to share in the interests of Celestial Magery. Please, come at your earliest convenience and you might learn something to your benefit.

Please come alone, this is something only those of the keys should know.

May the stars guide you always.

Sincerely, Oroborous.'

Lucy frowned at the paper, trying to think if she recalled that name. Something about it struck her as familiar but she couldn't really bring it up to her conscious thought at the moment. Had they been associates of her mother by chance? She'd been the mage in the family, but it had been so long since she'd died and whenever Lucy called up those memories…

She shuddered and set the first paper aside, suddenly the air was cloying with the scent of antiseptic, the droning of beeping machines resounding in her thoughts. It was impossible to think that far back and not remember pristine white and cold linoleum floors and the impossible waiting for nothing to happen.

The second paper was a map, and a seal was stamped into one of the corners, the same seal that had closed the letter.

Lucy narrowed her eyes and peered at it, then picked up the envelope and peered at the seal on there.

Then her eyes widened.

"Ophiuchus?" She exclaimed, fingers tightening their hold and crinkling the paper. The black Key, good enough to stand with the Zodiac, the Serpent, Ophiuchus. Lucy held up her own keys, starring at the gold and making them all out. Taurus, Aquarius, Cancer, Leo, Capricorn, Aries, Virgo, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Gemini….

The Serpent's Key belonged to another mage, but here was a whole _family_ dedicated to her…Why was that? What could it mean? Were there other families dedicated and named after the other Zodiac? How come she'd never heard of it before now?

Her hands tightened on her keys, eyes narrowed. She'd have to pack her bags and leave a message with the Guild, but she was going to find out.

She couldn't help but feel her blood rush at the thought, more information about Celestial magic, information she hadn't known before? Any magician worth her salt would be excited.

She smiled, she couldn't wait.

The map took her to a deep corner in the northeast, a patch of clearing deep in a forgotten and lush forest, so thick the trees almost blocked out the sun before it. There, she found a house.

A rather large house.

It was huge, though not as large as her own father's estate, old but not uncared for. Though the surrounding land was only tamed so far, the grass was left to grow, partially shielding the home from unwanted visitors. Still, what was near the manse was manicured enough that she would've expected this family to belong to the same social circles she herself had once been forced to traverse. It was enough to give her nerves…

But that saved her, for instead of being cowed Lucy squared her shoulders, put on the airs she'd long forgotten and unconsciously strode forward up to the front entrance with every poise and expectation that she would be an honored guest.

Habit _was_ useful after all…

She only knocked once and barely at that, before the double doors of oak swung open of their own accord to admit a tallish male in the uniform universal to all doormen that she'd ever met. The doors themselves weren't towering, just large enough to impress, and the man, fine stature and dark of hair, was the same forgettable if dignified sort of fine servants everywhere. He admitted her with grace, and she strode in like so, taking in the environment as she did.

The main entrance was more of a drawing room, not a great hall, the house wasn't _that_ large. More of a gothic structure to it, with dark woods and even darker decor. Most of the paintings she saw in passing held a similar theme, constellations, and the legends based on them. The man led her down a hall to the right, and she found her gaze passing a particular painting featuring a well known legend between three familiar figures.

Persues, Hydra and chained to the rock, Andromeda…

 _They certainly are Celestial mages._ She thought to herself. Though, personally, she'd pick cheerier colors, at least she felt comfortable in these surroundings. What Celestial Wizard wouldn't be? Only those who worked with the keys would feel at peace with decorations featuring the night sky and all its wonders.

She passed several rooms, noting that hallways were at a premium here, an old style of architecture, until she came to another sitting room, lush leather chairs and a large mahogany table sitting in front of a cheerful fireplace. One chair nearest it was empty, and in the other…

Was an old man, wearing a suit of a midnight blue so dark it was almost black. His eyes were equally dark, and his hair the pale white of the moon. He smiled at her, and stood, taking her hands fondly. "Ah, miss Heartfilia." He greeted, his voice low and warm, eyes crinkling. "A pleasure to meet you at last. I am Kaliya, I lead the Orobouros clan." He bowed over her hands, his eyes never leaving hers. "We are a family of Celestial Wizards, it runs in the family. I hear that you're quite the wizard yourself."

She flushed, impressed. A whole family of Celestial mages? Who would've thought the odds? She'd never heard of such a thing! "Well, I do have a lot of friends beside me." She demurred, gesturing towards her keys. "They do most of the work; I just keep up my contracts." Some days it felt true, though she made a point to always fight beside them.

He chuckled, letting go of her hands and gesturing for her to sit, which she did. "Of course, of course. One must always abide by the contract. Still, to have so many golden keys, plus your silver…that is no small feat! How do you keep track of them all?" He settled himself and leaned forward, his chair angled towards hers, his expression one of keen interest.

She relaxed into her chair, sighing at the heat, it was still rather cool for early spring, and the house was large and not very well ventilated. It was nice to be near something warm. She hummed at his question. "Mostly I keep notes, though…" She gave a small sheepish grin. "Some of them are pretty simple. Taurus in particular just wants to protect me for my looks." She chuckled, and he laughed with her, nodding knowingly.

"Truly the spirits are much like us in some ways, if I had the strength left in these old bones, I'd do the same as Him." He nodded towards her, giving her a wink, and she flushed, but pleased. It was always nice to get acknowledged for her looks, she worked hard on them after all. And for once he wasn't a _perverted_ old man ogling her, which was a bonus in and of itself.

Still, they weren't there to talk of the ways the spirits could have a libido, so Lucy shifted and refocused. "You mentioned knowing something about Celestial magic in your letter?" She opened with. "It's got to do something with the magic being in your family, right?" She leaned forward, eager. "I've never even heard of that-from my experience, we're rare!"

He let out a long sigh in response, smiling and leaning back, a pleased expression on his face. "Oh, that, my dearest, is a long tale. However, before I tell it to you, would you do me the honor of demonstrating your abilities?"

She tilted her head curiously, though not loath to refuse. This only made sense after all, especially after living in her guild. "You want a mages duel?" She asked, frowning a little. He was quite old…though Master Makarov was just as old, so she might've been judging him a bit harshly.

He laughed, shoulders shaking as he shook his head. "Oh, no, not with _me_." He offered, to her slight relief. Sorry Master. "I have a grand nephew who needs to freshen up his skills." He turned to the wall behind him, making a gesture. "Lotan, come in here."

The wall cracked open to reveal a hidden door, and out of it stood a tall pale man with dark hair (were the servants related or something?) with Kaliya's dark dark eyes. He looked a little worse for wear, bags under said eyes, and maybe a bit thin. Lucy felt almost as bad about fighting him as his great uncle! Still, he bowed without any trouble towards his patriarch. "Master." He greeted, and then he turned to her. "And you are Miss Heartfilia, yes?" She stood up to greet him herself, and offered her hand in well recalled manners. He bowed over it and kissed it.

She flushed. "Are all you guys so mannerly?" She asked, making a joke, partly to keep from reacting (he was awfully cute) and partly to remind herself that these eloquent surroundings weren't her world anymore. Things were so cultured she could choke on them. Part of her wanted to rebel, to flee that place and go back to the mead hall esque familiarity of her guild, but she only allowed the lax speech, if only to keep her sanity. Anything to learn more of her magic.

Lotan only smiled and released her hand, before turning back towards the hidden door. "It's only to keep the honor of our clan." He offered. "If you'll follow me, please?"

She glanced to Kaliya, who nodded, and while a part of her was a bit nervous to go through a dark and mysterious door she went forward will all the learned courage she had. This was nothing, she'd taken down dark wizards, been in a war, this was just one old man and his tired looking nephew. She could handle this.

And she wasn't alone. Never alone.

The door opened up to what looked like a mini indoor arena, not that large, but with rounded walls reaching up to the second and third floors, and a little balcony where a few people, likely others of the clan, lingered. The room itself was bare, and the door closed behind her, sealing her and Lotan inside.

There were no windows, the room itself was lit with sconces of candles midway up the ground that must've been a bitch and a half to take care of, but if the clan itself were servants maybe they had enough manpower…or maybe not. Lucy couldn't tell without more time with them, which she honestly didn't care too much for.

Still, they were here for a duel, and she was familiar with that. She fingered her keys, debating on whom to start with. Taurus hadn't been used in a while…

Lotan walked to the other side of the room, and they waited a few moments before Kaliya, through ways Lucy couldn't quite imagine, stepped his way onto the balcony with the others of his Clan, (or what she assumed was his clan.) He gestured with his arms. "Now, Mage Heartfilia, show us your power." He began.

Lotan straightened up with a military efficiency. "I'll make the first move, if it pleases you Miss Heartfilia." He stated, before reaching into his own suit (black with dove grey) for his keys. "I call to the Gate of the Great River, Eridanus!" With that he swung a silver key, and with an echoing roar a mass of water appeared in a bright heavenly light. It was dark as the sky, formless, shifting and swirling around him, reaching almost serpent like towards Lucy before pausing before hear, a great brim of froth lining it. Colors seemed to flash within its ever flowing depths, rainbow colors as it caught the flickering light of the candles.

She huffed. "Please, just call me _Lucy_ alright?" She called out, irritated at the formality. "None of this 'Miss Heartfilia' crap. I gave up that birthright!" Though she and her father made up….best not to think about that.

She took in Eridanus, already deciding her key. Hopefully she'd be cooperative, she didn't exactly look _forward_ to this embarrassment, but at least she hadn't been told not to summon her! She grinned. "You may call on the river, but I call on She who Carries it! Gate of the Water Barer, Open! Aquarius!" And with a golden glow and another sound of waves, the spirit herself came forth, though she looked a bit miffed about doing it.

Aquarius yawned, her jar shifting on her shoulder as she eyed her opponent. "Really? You called me for this little puddle?" She griped. "I could be on a hot date right now." She rolled her eyes and glanced at Lucy, looking her up and down. "…at least you've been dieting. Still no boyfriend though?"

Lucy flushed, she should've known better than to summon her catty spirit. "Just…get on with it, please?" She pled, giving her an entreating glance.

Lotan arched a brow. "Interesting relationship…" He muttered, then narrowed his eyes. "Eridanus! Drown her!"

Lucy was distracted momentarily by those words, turning away from her spirit. "Drown-wait!" But she was struck off her feet, the River crashing into her, and more, swirling around her face and trapping her within its ever moving depths. She felt like she was being strangled, both by the water and the current, and she clutched at her throat as she tried to struggle free.

"Hey, that's _my_ incompetent Wizard you've got there!" She could barely hear Aquarius, though she sounded angry, and then suddenly the current loosened, but only just, enough that Lucy could stretch her neck enough to break her face free from the water, enough to get a swallow of breath. "A-Aquarius!" She coughed out, more than irritated at being bound so soon in the fight. "D-drain-!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" The Spirit grumbled, but she quickly brought her jar down to her waist and called the river to her, and swiftly it drained away from her Master, unable to resist the water bearer's influence. Soon enough all the waters were gone, trapped in her jar, and Lucy coughed and kneeled on the ground, trying to get her strength back. "N-next time…do that a bit sooner?" She asked her spirit, who huffed.

Only to be shot through the stomach in the next instant.

"Aquarius! Go back!" Lucy called out, releasing her stunned spirit, only to turn back to face Lotan, who had out another key, again, silver. He smirked at her, a cruel light in his eyes. And next to him…

A great Dragon, long, long enough that part of its body lifted and slipped into the balcony above, black as night and speckled with stars.

She didn't need to hear his name to know who he was; Lotan must've summoned him when she was distracted. Still, Draco…he was a strong spirit, not like the Zodiac but…

She pursed her lips, time to get serious.

"Gate of the Lion! Leo!" She called out her strongest spirit, and in a golden glow he came, dressed to the nines as always, his main bushier as ever, with two pointed cats' ears on top. Seemed he wanted to look more leonine this time, though she was glad there were no girls around for him to be distracted with.

Loke came out ready to fight as usual, though he blinked in surprise when he noted the spirit he faced. "You again?" He managed, which was weird in and of itself considering where he just was. Didn't he socialize outside of the Zodiac?

Draco hissed and curled up on himself, glaring at her Lion, his maw sparking and flashing with rainbow colors. " _Once more we meet Lion. Now I can finally pay you back for that embarrassment all those years ago._ " He growled his voice a hiss that made Lucy tremble.

Loke snarled, fangs more prominent, his eyes seeming to thin into slits, which she'd noticed he'd do whenever his emotions ran high, what was going on? "Last time you deserved it and you _know_ it you giant noodle!" He snarled, hands curling into fists. Then he turned to Lotan. "And you! What the hell are you doing outside of a cell?!"

She blinked, more than a little surprised. "Uh, Loke…? Is there something I should know about all this?" She began, a little at a loss-and she'd thought Aquarius was embarrassing!

Leo growled, legitimately growled, she hadn't heard him do that in at least a year. "This man is a _murderer_ Lucy." He hissed, then gestured towards Lotan. "He killed a child in cold blood! It was the year before you joined the guild, back when I was still exiled." His fists started to glow and he advanced a step. "It was on one of my jobs and I took him out, I'd have thought he'd be locked up for at least longer than a single year!"

Lotan sniffed, long fingers twirling a key between them, head tilted up to look down his nose. "Lucy, do you often allow your spirits to run free like this? One would think with a proper master Leo would finally learn manners." He sighed. "I guess you really can't tame the wild beasts after all."

Leo snarled. "Why, you insolent _pup_!" Then he made to charge the mage, only for Lotan to make a gesture. "You should probably pay more attention to your true enemy Leo." He crooned, nodding behind him. "And leave the serious talk to your betters."

Then Lucy felt a burning, sharp pain, and collapsed, clutching her leg-it was bleeding! A scorched hole had bitten into the fleshy part of her thigh. She cried out, forcing Loke to turn automatically. "Lucy!" He called out, only to grunt as Draco shot off another beam of energy, an aurora of light glowing within his mouth, ringed by needle sharp teeth. The spirit went after him, having only grazed him as Lucy struggled to ignore the pain and stand once more.

"Dammit..!" She grit, glaring at Lotan. She _trusted_ Loke and if what he said was true…then there was a lot more going on to all of this than she'd originally thought. "Should've known that letter was too good to be true. Hey! Lotan!" The mage focused his attention on her. "What he said, is it true? Did you really kill a child?"

Lotan shrugged, for the most part ignoring his spirit as it did battle with Loke, something that just struck as _wrong_ to her. She longed to join him, but now… "She was a weak mage, wasn't deserving of the title. She only had one Nikola after all…" Then, much to her horror, he smiled. "She didn't even die well, ran away instead of fighting. It was better that I took her out."

She trembled, in anger, in disgust. "You…you monster!" She snarled herself, hand grasping the whip at her side, anger giving her the strength to stand and ignore her pain. "I'll put you back behind bars myself!"

But as her whip cracked, scoring him on the side of his face (he didn't even dodge!), he sighed. "You and Leo could both learn to pay more heed." He offered.

That was when Lucy felt herself catch fire.

She screamed, clutching her side, where another score had hit, causing it to bleed profusely. She started to feel light headed, and couldn't help but to fall to the ground.

"L-Lucy..!" Loke called out, his body coiled up in Draco's serpentine body, the Dragon hissing and glaring at her prone form.

She wouldn't give up however, even fading as she was; she still had strength for one last spirit.

She knew. She hoped.

But as she reached for another key, Kaliya's voice echoed out along the room. "Enough, you have lost Miss Heartfilia." He intoned, his voice sounding more than a bit disappointed. "Two Zodiac keys, and such sloppy work. It was your lack of discipline and authority that did you in." He tutted. "You have regained your status Lotan, so to you, go the spoils."

Lotan smirked, his stance getting a bit firmer at that, though Lucy struggled to stay conscious. Spoils? Her keys?! No…she couldn't-she wouldn't let them!

"You…" She managed, glancing up at the Patriarch. "You…knew about what he did…?" It wasn't possible, and yet there were no words acknowledging it-he could surely hear their conversation!

Kaliya glanced down at her, and then a chill went up her spine at the cold look he gave, his eyes hard as stones. "How else do you think he was freed? We are an old tribe Heartfilia, such things are simple matters for us."

Her heart sped up, making her vision blur along the edges. "B-but why?! He killed a child! How can you be okay with that?!"

He scoffed. "Lotan was simply acting according to our ancient traditions. Were you brought up Proper, you would understand."

She felt nauseous, and not just from blood loss. The world spun around her as she tried to come to grips with what he'd said. Traditions? Brought up Proper? He made no sense to her…who would consider killing a child in cold blood proper?!

Loke groaned, he was still with her, which probably wasn't doing well for her health-but a glance in his direction and-his hair was shorter, clothes the same as when she'd first seen him when she joined the guild. He'd switched to his own power to spare her. Draco vanished in a flash of light, and Lotan approached him with another of those haughty looks down his nose.

"It's about time I obtained you Leo." He murmured, stopping in front of the spirit. Lucy's heart cried out in panic, her throat locking up. "Past time really."

He reached down, but was slapped away by the Lion, and when he glanced up Lucy was surprised to see that his pupils were still cat thin. "Never." He rasped, making to stand up. "I will _never_ serve a murderer like you." He snarled, and she saw his fangs were still very much prominent, his shorter hair bristling.

Lotan scoffed, flinching away in surprise. "I won you in fair combat spirit!" He responded, aghast. "I get your key, that's how it works!"

Loke snorted, giving a smug smirk of his own. "Not how it works this time pup." He drawled. "My contract to Lucy ends when _she_ does. You'll never have me, not while she's still breathing." Then his eyes narrowed. "And if you think to fix _that_ my contract says nothing about taking out a human who _isn't_ my master. I won't go easy on you this time."

Lucy's breathing sped up, but no…Loke wouldn't…other spirits clearly had killed other humans without being exiled right? It was just because Karin had been his Master. Still, seeing him so full of killing rage like that… "Loke." She managed, causing him to relax, but only slightly.

"That is enough." Kaliya interrupted, his voice barking and cutting through the air. "Leo, you _know_ the laws."

Loke didn't even glance up at the old man, kept his eyes square on Lotan's. "And you know my contract Kaliya." He answered, voice firm. "Those laws are old and outdated, and we never followed them to begin with. Not the way you did." His eyes narrowed. "I stay with Lucy."

A beat, and a weary sigh. "Must you force us to kill her then?"

Loke tensed, eyes slitting further, and blood, spirit blood that glowed and seeped up like smoke filtering from his hands, likely due to claws growing there. "Do it." He challenged. "And you will have a wild lion to face. How many of your clan are you willing to lose, Kaliya? Because I'll kill you all if you _try_."

Lucy swallowed. The spirits, her friends, they seemed so human most of the time. They felt and thought like mortals, that she sometimes forgot that they were wild, primal spirits as well. Loke was Loke, her friend and flirtatious headache, but he was also a lion. _The_ Lion, who had no qualms going on a killing rage if he ever took a mind to. She'd read stories, legends surrounding him, old, ancient things that she half suspected were simply embellished stories with how tame he acted.

Now she was starting to wonder if there was any truth to them.

Lotan gave a frustrated sound and interrupted them however, turning towards his Patriarch. "Oh, just _banish_ him already Uncle. I don't want Leo anymore anyway, not if he's going to be a disciplinary case."

At that, Loke's expression fell and he gaped at them both. "Wait-what? Banis-you can't possibly mean-when did you learn that spell?"

Lucy also gaped, not sure what she was hearing, then again, the entire day was full of unpleasant surprises, so neither one of them were prepared when Kaliya said an ancient word, and a set of iron chains surrounded Loke and caused him to cry out in pain.

They burned into him, glowed white hot, and Lucy cried out and tried to stand, stumbling, the world rocking around her. She needed to stay awake, couldn't pass out, couldn't…

"Now, Leo, be bound to the earth forever." Kaliya's voice echoed to her at a great distance, as well as her friend's cries, and her heart clenched to hear them. No...Not again…she'd fought so hard to save him from this, to have him bound to earth again…!

"G-gate…of the…Lion…" She reached for her keys, her vision wavering as she listened to Leo's screams, blood covering her hands and making them slick. They slipped out of her hand as she started to fade. "Leo…Op-open…" She could only manage a flash of light, and barely that, and something, she didn't know what, shut the gate hard, and then locked it.

"No…"

She collapsed, tears running down her face as she looked, seeing Loke on his hands and knees, face pressed to the floor as he trembled. She'd failed him, failed him twice over, and now he was trapped. Again.

She should've died. She almost wished she would have.

Then the world went dark…

* * *

 **I can't write Loke unless he's suffering on Earthland. I just can't. Also, poor Lucy, she didn't deserve this. She needs to learn not to go off on her own. Gives her less chance to become a pin cushion.**

 **I finally gave the asshole from The Fading Star a name. Go me.**

 **Next chapter will have Loke with a painful reminder of why he hate's being him so god damn much. At least he gets to stick around for the main event a bit. Masochist.**

 **Anyway review for your Aunty 'Cune.**


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